The world’s most famous automotive design house, Pininfarina celebrates 90 years of style and innovation with a new exhibition at the MAUTO in Turin, open from May to September.
Founded in 1930, Pininfarina has evolved from an artisan concern to a global brand employing over 600 people. In those 90 years Pininfarina has given us some of the world’s most beautiful automobiles, but also demonstrated exciting innovation. Divided up in to six areas the exhibition will showcase the unique breadth of the brand from the gorgeous Cisitalia 2020, to the 1969 Sigma Grand Prix and off into the future with the exciting new Battista, electric hypercar concept.
While Tesla and others already offer assisted-driving features, startups Waymo, Cruise, TuSimple and Aurora are betting their autonomous vehicles will make driving a thing of the past. WSJ asked them about safety and other challenges they face. Photo composite: George Downs
While the automotive industry was ravaged early on in the pandemic thanks to lockdown measures and a dramatic decrease in travel, it more recently has begun facing a new problem: a shortage of microchips.
Microchips are vital to much of a vehicle’s key functions, such as engine control, transmission, infotainment systems, and more. In the last half of 2020 and now in 2021, vehicle sales recovered fairly quickly, faster than automakers anticipated.
Suddenly, they were struggling to meet demand. At the same time, chipmakers were experiencing supply shortages and increased demand from other sectors, such as personal electronics. With the resulting lack of microchip supply, automakers have been forced to slow production, even on their most popular models. For several automakers, the shortage is expected to cost them $1 billion or more — and even still, the alternatives are worryingly few.
The German automotive industry has long played a key role in the country’s prosperity. It employs hundreds of thousands and enjoys cozy relationships with politicians.
But the COVID-19 crisis threw a wrench in the works. What’s next? The prosperous German auto industry has long been lagging when it comes to innovating new automotive technologies. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the industry is turning to decision-makers for help. But just how far will policymakers go to help the car companies?
Arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic has hit them hard, the auto industry is demanding the postponement of stricter CO2 limits and a purchase premium for new vehicles. They maintain that nothing less than the prosperity of the whole country is at stake. But is Germany’s success really dependent on the auto industry? And how much blame does industrial policy bear for the failures of the automotive companies?
Feel the freedom. the 1969 Renault 4 Plein Air, a roofless, doorless car for a liberating driving experience happy 60th anniversary to Renault 4.
The Plein Air was introduced in the spring of 1968. Plein Airs were converted by Renault group company Sinpar S.A. from regular 4 speed R1123’s produced by Renault. A R1123 selected for conversion entered Sinpar’s premises as a complete R4 Berline to undergo a complete make-over and leave without doors and roof to be delivered to clients who had ordered their Plein Air from one of Renault’s dealers worl-wide. Plein Airs were actually sold and delivered into France, Canada, United States, Mexico, Finland, Germany, UK and the Netherlands. In 1968 approx. 20 Plein Airs were exported to Canada to be used on the site of the 1968 Terre des Hommes World Exhibition in Montreal. Approximately 500 Plein Airs were produced by Sinpar until 1971, when it was succeeded by the R4 ACL Rodeo. After 1971 Renault continued to offer Plein Air conversion kits for self-made plein airs, but little is known about their number.
It is hard to predict what the electric automotive future holds for us, but we say can one thing for sure: never again will the car designs be boring. To prove this statement, today we will cover the latest EV news and showcase the most prominent newcomers that not only have revolutionary propulsion systems, but also radical inside-out looks.
Heatherwick Studio’s concept electric car, Airo, launched at the Shanghai Motor Show today 19th April 2021. Designed for IM Motors, Airo is a fully electric vehicle with autonomous and driver-controlled modes. It will run on electric power, producing no fossil fuel pollutants as it moves around the city.
But the car goes further in its environmental ambition as it’s also equipped with a state-of-the-art HEPA filtering system that actively cleans the air from the pollution of other vehicles as it passes through the under-carriage, leaving the air around it cleaner.
Inside, the car’s customisable interior can be configured into multiple functional spaces that turn the car into a moving room or a space for your life. With so much attention to detail and choice of materials, this is clearly a space to spend time in even when you’re not on a journey. The seats rotate from a traditional forward-facing driving position to face each other for social activities such as dining on the four-leaf table which neatly folds away to transform the space into a lounge. A foldaway screen turns the interior into a perfect gaming-pod and when you’ve exhausted yourself, the beautifully contoured seats fully recline to form a spacious double bed.
Using the latest technology in glass, the fully glazed roof becomes opaque on command for total privacy. Alongside the car, the studio has also designed a charging station for IM Motors that will become part of the infrastructure of the city. Formed from industrial materials including weathered steel, the charging station aims to become part of the urban fabric for decades to come. It has a retractable wire and an ergonomic handle for easy connection to electric vehicles.
Thomas Heatherwick, Founder of Heatherwick Studio said: “Airo isn’t simply another electric car that doesn’t pollute the air. Instead, using the latest HEPA filter technology, it goes further by also vacuuming-up pollutants from other cars as it drives along. Designed to simultaneously address the global space shortage, Airo is also a multi-functional room with extra space for dining, working, gaming or even sleeping. As a new room for our lives, with a changing view, Airo is a car intended to transport us to a cleaner and better future.”
The concept for IM Motors Airo designed by Heatherwick Studio was launched today and the car is expected to go into production in 2023.
Mercedes-Benz is perhaps the biggest name in luxury cars globally, and for countless buyers around the world, it is a car brand to aspire to own. The German automaker has a reputation for superb build quality, excellent engineering, and the bragging rights that its founder Carl Benz invented the first production automobile.
Today, Mercedes-Benz faces a new class of challenges as Tesla has become the aspirational brand for younger consumers. There is a slew of other EV hopefuls vying for the next generation’s aspirational vehicle’s mantle. Automakers have had to sink billions into new technologies and contend with a new crop of competitors in the critical Chinese market and around the world.
As tech companies become a key part of the auto industry, cars are looking more like giant computers on wheels. To understand why a tech giant like Apple might want to make a car, we built one out of iPhone parts. Photo illustration: Alex Kuzoian/WSJ
Born in the U.S.A, this 1960s VW Beetle Wizard gained its popularity in the midst of a custom car phenomenon with looks overriding performance, though it didn’t kick off in the UK until the 80s. Eye-catching, noisy and cool was the goal. About Car S.O.S Series 9: The best car restoration series with a big heart is back to bring a warm smile to all!
Master mechanic Fuzz Townshend and parts-blagging petrol head Tim Shaw set off on a mission to save decaying classic cars from their unsuspecting but very much deserving owners. The cars are taken to the Car S.O.S. garage with Tim & Fuzz racing against the clock to carefully restore it to its former glory, leading to the big, surprise reveal.
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